Internet Veils: How to Weirdcore

HOW TO WEIRDCORE

What is Weirdcore?

Weirdcore (Also known as "Oddcore" or "Stragecore") is a internet surrealist aesthetic centered around amateur or low-quality photography and/or visual images that have been constructed or edited to convey feelings of confusion, disorientation, dread, alienation, and nostalgia or anemoia.

Visually, it is strongly influenced by the general look and feel of images shared on an older internet, roughly a period spanning from around the late 90's to mid 2000's. Amateur editing, primitive digital graphics, lo-fi photography and JPEG low quality compression images are some of the most common elements found in Weirdcore images.

Thematically, Weirdcore often conveys a feeling of dread, brought forth by its low quality imagery and a lack of context in regards to the location or the message being shown. This does not mean that Weirdcore is deeply rooted in horror, however, as the feeling of fear left on the viewer is merely a side effect of placing them in an unfamiliar setting or context.A good definition is Comforting anxiety

This is purely subjective however, and depends on the viewer, their own experiences and the content of an edit; while some people might find a Weirdcore image scary or ominous, others might feel nostalgia or even a feeling of comfort.

READ MORE ABOUT WEIRDCORE HERE: https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Weirdcore

VIDEO ESSAYS:

https://youtu.be/XpgddVUidq0?si=W3c5IfR7WgFGnSCk (What is Weirdcore?)

https://youtu.be/ojen9RpnOGc?si=XNwDId5_P7cu9lhG (Understanding The Meaning of Weirdcore)

https://youtu.be/vFlIVdPt6CU?si=ZpSCZnW07cDRoOGJ (Beauty of the Bizarre: An Analysis of Weirdcore)

https://youtu.be/lohvy3JoMDY?si=SGSOjmjaEnJWIt2j (The *True* Weirdcore Iceberg Explained)

https://youtu.be/p9dAYHpdI6I?si=Zx9DzRrw8TeizGHG (A Beginners Guide to Everything Weirdcore)

Demonstration of weirdcore edits and example of what makes them weirdcore:

example: lack of context

by ki55ed on tumblr

example: dreamlike feeling, unrealistic scenarios

by etherealascend on tumblr

example: Comforting anxiety, Amateur editing, liminal space

by fortymendown

example: lack of context, confusion

by unknown artist

example: Amateur editing, unrealistic scenarios, disorientation

by terbowastaken on tumblr

example: Comforting anxiety, hidden meaning

by arda6655 on tumblr

example: Amateur editing, JPEG low quality, old web features

by theinternetangels on tumblr

example: lack of context, lo-fi photo, feelings of confusion

by expressingexperience on tumblr

example: dreamlike feeling, abnormal/angelic glowing orbs, unrealistic

by tim963x on tumblr

example: Amateur editing, feelings of confusion, lack of context

by ihazhamburgerwc on tumblr

example: lo-fi photo, dreamlike feeling, JPEG low quality

by momscp on tumblr

example: feelings of confusion, lack of context

by dec2007 on tumblr (me, web creator)

example: feelings of confusion, dreamlike feeling, abnormal event

by u/ShaynaShane on reddit

example: lack of context, lo-fi photo, dreamlike feeling

by dxrknessgd on tumblr

example: nostalgia ui, liminal space, lack of context

by trash.j7y on discord

example: feelings of confusion, lack of context

by theinternetangels on tumblr

example: feelings of confusion, confusion, disorientation

by momscp on tumblr

example: old web features, feelings of confusion

by destruction1999x on tumblr

- What is the difference between Weirdcore and Dreamcore?

Weirdcore is based on amateur photography and image editing, emulating the look and feel of images you'd find online in the 2000s. On top of that, the pieces are often lacking in context and/or convey a subtle feeling of discomfort and dread.

Dreamcore, on the other hand, is timeless and based on the surrealness of dreams. Some of its most iconic features are eye angels, characters with object heads, RPG-like dialogue boxes, etc.

Click on the image to scale:

WEIRDCORE WIKI: https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Weirdcore

DREAMCORE WIKI: https://aesthetics.fandom.com/wiki/Dreamcore

WEIRDCORE DISCORD SERVER: https://discord.gg/weirdcore

WEIRDCORE SUBREDDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/weirdcore/

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✁ 1. Editing Software

Image Editing Software ➡

is very important because you can create Weirdcore edits in there. It's important to choose a software that you can use well and has tools like:

- Adding Text/Images

- Cropping Images: Adjust dimension and ratio.

- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Arranging images.

- Paint Tools: Painting tools and brush options.

- Layers: Multiple images as separate layers for precise control.

- Overlay and Collage tools: Add and arrange multiple images on a canvas.

(I use photoshop for editing but before that I used paint.net. I don't have much experience with

other editing software but I recommend these:)

Editing Software For Computers (Windows, Linux, MacOS, etc..)

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Inkscape

Editing Software For Phones ➡

Editing Software For Browers ➡

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✁ 2. Base Image

What is Base Image? ➡

"Base image" is the definition for the default image of the edit. The base image is often placed first and then other stuff gets edited into it. Base images are often liminal spaces , childhood places, nostalgic places and often places without people

How do i find them? ➡

on weirdcore discord there is a channel dedicated to base images: https://discord.gg/weirdcore in #base-images

Some intresting tumblr accounts with lot of base images:

https://flickrbeasts.tumblr.com

https://forgottenflickr.tumblr.com

https://unteriors.tumblr.com

https://www.tumblr.com/falsemuseum

https://heck-yeah-liminal-spaces.tumblr.com/

https://l0ggia.tumblr.com/

Some zips with lot of base images:

Base Image Heaven.zip Around ~750 base images (by @mirrormagic on discord)

Archived Base Images Folder Around ~90 base images (by @the_cat_ on discord)

Base image subreddits:

r/LiminalSpace

r/liminalspaces

r/LiminalReality

Websites to search for base images:

http://www.rangscapes.net

https://yandex.com/images

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

https://archive.org/

https://pinterest.com

Finding methods: Go on Flickr and search for any keyword with date parameters between 01-01-1995 and 12-31-2007.

1. Egghead method:

2. Lawg method:

3. Sanfor method:

4. Before 2010 method:

How do I know that the base image is suitable/good for editing? ➡

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✁ 3. Idea

Also there works some techniques like you start with an unsettling or distressing base image and transform it into something comforting but you can see that it is fake (For instance, you might change a nighttime scene into a daytime one with some amateur editing , but the lighting doesn't match up correctly) This creates a sense of comforting anxiety because you can tell something's off and there is also a lack of context which reflects disorientation and other things that describe Weirdcore.

You can also put some kind of caption that may describe the scene or trying to hide that something is wrong, it can also comfort or say something completely different that has hidden meaning for example why it happened (why the sky is fake maybe its dream or you are dead/in coma? its up to u, often hidden meanings don't tell you indirectly) or even in what time it took place (I recommend 2000s because weirdcore is from that era.) It's very common for someone to figure out on their own what is going on in the editing

You can also depict something weird or surreal/spiritual/abnormal that happened in childhood (it doesn't have to be your childhood, it's just to evoke the nostalgia and comfort that some had when they were a kids like in 2000s/90s.) Some kind of afterthought or something that little kids thought was all right and yet wasn't

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✁ 4. Inspiration

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✁ 5. Editing

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✁ 6. Editing Tweaks

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✁ 5. Assets

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✁ 7. Compression

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✁ 8. Where to share your edit?

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